Heretofore, it has been standard and conventional to react copolyester resins with various epoxide compounds to cure those copolyester resins into a coating upon various substrates. To induce the curing of the copolyester resin with the epoxide compound, various curing reaction catalysts have been traditionally introduced at the time of compounding mixtures of the resin and the epoxide compound. Unfettered reaction between the curing reaction catalyst and the copolyester resin establishes curing characteristics which affect the leveling properties of the final coating. Alteration of the curing characteristics may induce shorter curing cycles to speed the curing reaction, but that alteration of cure cycle requirements should not affect the flow characteristics of the copolymer resin during curing. Therefore, the need exists for a reaction which precedes the final compounding and curing of the copolyester resin with the epoxide compound to moderate the reaction of the copolymer resin with the epoxide compound upon mixing of those two materials and heating the mixture.